


Of Flags and Forts

by DawnsEternalLight



Category: Batman (Comics)
Genre: Capture the Flag, Damian's got a million nicknames here, Family Bonding, Fluff, Gen, Snow forts, Snowball Fights, Tooth Rotting Fluff, he's the main character everyone else is around and interacting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:01:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28345812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DawnsEternalLight/pseuds/DawnsEternalLight
Summary: Every year the Batfam has a game of capture the flag fused with a snowball fight, and this time Damian gets to join in the fun.
Relationships: Damian Wayne & Everyone
Comments: 8
Kudos: 168
Collections: BatFam Winter Gift Exchange 2020





	Of Flags and Forts

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Gemini_Baby](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gemini_Baby/gifts).



> Gem! I hope you enjoy this little fic, it's pure fluff just for you <3
> 
> Written for the Batfam winter gift exchange the prompt was: 
> 
> Fav character: Damian  
> Three Favorite relationships: Dick & Damian, Jason & Damian, Dick & Jason  
> What are three things you love to see?: Good Dad Bruce, batsibs being good sibs, Damian cares
> 
> I went for a mix of good sibs, good dad Bruce, and some Dick & Damian and Jason & Damian

Damian stamped his feet, hearing the crunch of snow under one fur lined boot then the other and huffed, watching the air leave his lips in a visible puff to be carried off on gentle wind. Gentle or no, it made him reach up and tug his hat a little further over his brow, hoping to block out as much cold as possible. 

“You look a bit like a puff ball, Squirt.” Todd grinned, coming over, “You done with your break and ready to rejoin us?” 

Damian glared at his brother and crossed his arms, not against the cold but against the idea of moving. Now that he had been standing a while he was rooted to his spot like Freeze himself had shot his ice gun at Damian’s toes. 

Crunching snow signaled yet another person approaching, Brown this time, face lit with a smile, purple scarf pulled up almost over her nose, “There you two are, we’re about to start.” 

“Baby Bat here isn’t moving.” Jason said. 

“Damian!” Brown cried, “You have to join us, the teams won’t be evenly matched without you. Besides, moving will warm you up, you know that as well as any of us.” 

He huffed again, “I would be even warmer if I simply returned inside.” 

“Nope, We’re all out for a while yet, Alfred’s orders, remember?” Todd reminded him, “So you either stand there and turn into a popsicle, or you join us and help take down Tim.”

Brown nodded with enthusiasm, “Yeah, Tim’s team has never lost because he’s stupid good at tactical planning. But with you and Cass this year, we’re going to kick butt. We’ve got the dream team.” 

“Hey! You make it sound like I add nothing to the team.” Todd grumbled. 

Damian ignored him, and Brown’s retort of “Well you don’t.” while he considered. He had not been looking forward to the family’s annual game of capture the flag mixed with an epic snowball fight when Richard had suggested it. He did not like the cold, and the thought of playing in it, being pelted with it, and having to hide behind it was not something he liked at all. However, the promise of besting Drake, not to mention Richard, Father, and Thomas was tempting. And Brown was correct, moving would help warm him up even if he detested the cold. 

“Fine.” Damian agreed with a nod, “I will participate in this event. You said the others are ready?” 

“Only waiting on our team!” Brown told him. 

She moved to Damian, slung an arm around his shoulders, and started leading him forward, “Alright, here’s the plan. So Jason’s got Dick handled, and I’m going to distract Tim. They’ll all be suspecting Cass to be the one to sneak in for the flag, but we’re leaving her to keep ours safe this year. Meaning you are on flag capture duty. What do you say?” 

Damian smiled at her, “I believe I can manage that. Knowing Drake it will be well hidden within their fort, not at the center but near one of the sides.” 

“Look at you, already strategizing.” 

“Tt. It is not hard to figure out. The difficulty will be getting around Father.” 

Todd moved next to them and nodded, “Yeah, having Batman on your team should be considered cheating.” 

“You say that,” Brown said, “But you had no problems with him on your team last year.”

He shrugged, “And we won. So case made.” 

Damian tuned them out again, thinking of ways of sneaking past his father. Most strategies would depend on what type of snow fort they had built. Damian was not even entirely certain of his own team’s fort. He’d helped until his fingers had grown numb and he’d stalked off intent on finding cocoa and a way out of participating. 

Too bad he had been lured back in before he could sort out either desire. 

They stopped at the series of fortified snow walls and trees their team had staked out as their fort and collected Cass before moving again to join the rest of the family, waiting in the open area between the two forts. 

From here Damian could see bits of the other team’s base, but only the initial wall of snow, piled high and imposing. Where Todd had insisted on having the side of the yard filled with trees, Father’s team had gotten the area decorated with a shed, fencing around Pennyworth’s vegetable garden, and partial cover on one side of the manor. 

Father, Richard, Thomas, and Drake stood in a loose group that straightened when Damian’s team approached. 

“Oh good, I was afraid we’d have to send Dick in to lure Damian out.” Drake commented, “You are playing right?” 

“Tt, of course.” 

“Great!” Richard beamed, “I’m excited, this’ll be you and Duke’s first year playing, and I know it’s going to be amazing.” 

The previous years they had forgone the battle due to Father’s not-quite-death, and then Damian and Richard’s own as well. Now that everyone was back, and getting along it was with joy Richard had announced the event’s return. Pennyworth had made it law by locking them all outside until at least noon. 

Not that locks would keep them out. No, it was Pennyworth himself and fear of his retribution that kept even Damian from sneaking back in. 

“So, just to confirm, the rules are if you get hit with a snowball you have to return to base with a thirty second cool down time? And the first to get the enemy flag back to their own base wins?” Duke asked. 

“Yep!” Brown said, “Oh, and if you get hit while holding the flag you’ve got to drop it, return to your base, and try again.”

“Right.” Thomas nodded, “Are we doing jail?” 

“Nope, it’s more fun without it. Plus our teams aren’t that big.” Richard said, “Though there’s nothing against tackling someone and burying them in snow.”

Damian rolled his eyes, “Let’s get started already.” 

Father handed out flags, and both teams broke to return to their own forts under a five minute timer. When the buzzer sounded the game would officially start. 

“Alright, so where are we going to hide our flag this year?” Todd asked as they hurried into the trees to duck below a snow wall. 

“Why not tie it around the snowman’s hat?” Damian suggested, pointing to the large snowman Richard and Todd had spent the morning constructing, “The rules state it must be visible, but it does not have to be fluttering. And I do not believe anyone would think to check it’s own clothing, at least not initially.” 

“Good idea.” Brown said, “Plus Cass can hide in the trees this way and snipe anyone who comes close.” 

“I would like that.” Cain replied, with a devious glint in her eye, “I can also hide behind.” she pointed at the snowman, which was indeed larger than her, “They will not see me coming.”

“Perfect. Then, just like we planned, Jay you and I are going to be big loud distractions who look like we’re going for the flag, while Dames you sneak in. Let’s do this thing team!” 

When the buzzer went off Damian let the others burst into motion, then slipped around one of the far sides to make his first attempt at sneaking up to the opposing fort. Damian broke the tree line, sprinted into the free zone and found himself ducking under a flying snowball. 

He looked up to glare at Drake who Brown had not yet distracted, tossing a second snowball in Damian’s direction. He swerved, and turned to find cover again, mind racing. Drake would expect him to try to find a new area to enter by, and so instead he simply waited until he heard yelling from Todd and Richard indicating at least part of their plan was going well. 

When he was sure distractions were happening, Damian peered out from around his area of cover to look for Drake. His brother had disappeared off the wall he’d been protecting. Damian gave the whole area another look over before finally darting out again. 

He made it all the way to one of the walls of snow, and vaulted over it into their fort proper and had to pause to blink with surprise. His initial thoughts had been that they’d make use of ready made fencing, but apparently the opposite team had built a maze of snow walls connected to the cover they had available. 

It would be more difficult to find the flag in an actual maze, but Damian could manage. He crouched, and began to sneak his way deeper into the fort. Around him, he heard the yells and cries of the others as snowballs were flung, and people were chased. 

At one point Damian turned a corner and came face to face with Richard slinking back into the fort with his chest soaked with snow. He blinked with surprise at Damian and then grinned as he reached down to put together a snowball. 

Damian turned and bolted, hoping his brother would waste enough time putting together the snowball that he could get away. Strangely, he hadn’t yelled to alert any others. Damian wondered if cool down meant he also couldn’t throw a snowball or make chase within his own fort, but crunching feet told him otherwise. 

He spun around a corner and instead of continuing further into the maze, he ducked behind Pennyworth’s garden, before inching around the opposite side of it to get behind his brother. Richard bolted past his hiding place, snowball clutched in his hands and Damian made a break for the opposite end of the maze. 

For a moment, Damian thought he’d gotten away. Then, from behind him he heard a cry of victory that sounded a lot like Richard winning a round of Cheese Viking, and something cold smacked into Damian’s back. 

He spun, in open mouthed shock at his brother and glared, “I see how it is.” 

“Opposite teams, Dames. I don’t have to play nice.” Richard cheered, “Let me show you the way out.” 

Damian grumpily followed him and stomped back over to his own fort for his cool down period. Brown was also there, hair coated in snow as it started to melt and laughing with delight.

“This is amazing! I got Tim right in the face, you should have seen it. He was so upset.” 

“I wish I had. Richard found me as I was exploring the other side.” 

“If you want, you could get revenge now, he keeps trying to sneak up on the left side like we won’t think to check there twice.” Brown said, and pressed a snowball into Damian’s hand. 

He grinned, and moved to find his oldest brother. Richard looked rather pleased with himself as he was ducking and rolling behind various trees, quietly singing some inane song about agents and being the best. 

Damian waited for Richard to come out from behind another tree and then shouted, “Richard!” 

On instinct his brother looked up, right into a face full of snow. It was a most satisfying moment to watch him wipe the majority of it off his face and laugh. 

“I would suggest not singing next time.” Damian told him as he waved him off. 

They continued like this for a while, Damian sneaking into various parts of the enemy fort while his team fended off others sneaking into theirs, everyone becoming more and more coated in snow as the game went on. 

At last, Damian dropped in on a portion of the fort he had not explored yet and saw his father, standing guard over their own flag, hung over the side of one of the chairs. Father was a few feet away, and the area was mostly contained with only the one entry as an exit. 

It would seem no one else had made it here yet, since Father was not carrying a snowball, and Damian’s appearance seemed to surprise him. 

“I thought they’d send in Cassandra.” Father said. 

He scowled, and then a brilliant idea hit him. 

“Everyone has said that today.” Damian lied, and then sniffed, before forcing tears to well up in his eyes, a trick Todd had recently taught him. 

It was strange, crying on command instead of attempting to hide tears. But he thought the technique might be just enough to stun his Father. He sniffed again, as big tears slipped down his cheeks.

“No one seemed to think I wanted to play, and now no one believes me good enough to find the flag.” he said, trying to sound thoroughly upset. 

Father’s eyes widened in shock and he stepped forward, “No, Damian--” 

Before he got further, Damian was darting around him to snatch the flag. Father turned, still surprised as Damian used his momentum to slide under his legs and bolt out of the room cackling. 

He was fairly familiar with the other fort now, and made quick work of the maze, before bursting out the front. He could hear Father yelling behind him, and Drake’s voice joined in after a moment. Damian spared a moment to glance back to lock in on his family’s locations and dodged as snowballs began flying in his direction. 

Todd was on his way across the snow, and spotted Damian with the flag. He rushed forward and instead of moving around Damian to shield him from snowballs, Todd lifted him, turned and bolted back towards their own fort with Damian yelling in surprise. 

“What  _ are _ you doing, Todd?”

“Getting you to the other side. This is way better than--” he broke off to duck as a snowball came flying overhead, “Just trying to keep them from hitting you.”

“I do not see how it is.” Damian huffed.

Todd opened his mouth to respond, but stopped as a snowball caught him in the shoulder. He froze, and dropped Damian, “Go, run in a straight line and I’ll walk forward.” 

Ah, so that was the plan, to not only be a one time shield, but possibly two. Damian bolted forward hearing yelling from Richard and Thomas for Todd to move out of the way, and at last slid into their own base.

“Haha!” Damian cheered and raised the flag high above his head. 

Brown cheered, and Todd turned to make faces at the others, and after a few moments of celebration everyone came together at that point to debrief in the center of the two forts. Eight people made quite the racket and with everyone talking over each other, Damian missed Todd ducking away from their group to sneak around behind Richard. 

He did see him, as his brother held one finger to his lips, then in a motion, yanked the back of Richard’s coat forward, and shoved a handful of snow down it. 

Richard yelped, and spun on Todd, giving the man only a second to yell, “Snowball fight! No rules!” before he was tackled to the ground in a puff of snow. 

If Damian had thought the initial game was chaotic, this was ten times so. With no rules everyone was throwing snow at everyone else. Snow was in his hair, up his sleeves, down his boots, and he was fighting back just as furiously as everyone else. He took pride in the fact that he managed to get every one of his family with a snowball beyond his Father. 

He grabbed one and searched for the man in the chaos, turning to find Father having tried to pull away from the chaos slightly. They locked eyes for a moment, and Damian threw his snowball just as Father dove for him. 

Damian didn’t get a chance to dodge as Father let the snowball hit his chest in order to scoop Damian up. The world went quiet for a moment as Father simply held him. For the first time in a while Damian remembered he was supposed to be cold, and Father’s arms were warm.

“I’m glad you weren’t really upset back there.” Father said. 

“I apologize for the deception, but as Todd says all is fair in war.” 

Father chuckled, the rumbling movement of it spreading through Damian’s own chest, “Well he was right. How about we put that further to the test and team up? You and me against the others.”

Damian grinned at him, “I think that is more than fair.” 

They shifted a bit, and soon Damian was on Father’s shoulders with an armload of snowballs clutched against his chest, “Ready?” he asked. 

“Ready.” Father responded. 

And they charged. 


End file.
